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Wednesday, April 22 2009

AQUEDUCT NOTES, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2009

Hoof specialist Ian McKinlay said that the quarter crack he treated on Quality Road is a “done deal,” and the colt is on schedule for his next appearance, the Kentucky Derby at Churchill downs on Saturday, May 2.

Considered one of the favorites for the “Run for the Roses,” Quality Road developed a crack on his right-hind quarter during his track record-setting victory over Dunkirk in the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park on March 28.

FULL FIELD OF 12 ENTERED IN $300,000 SAN FRANCISCO MILE

ALBANY -- The Grade 2 $300,000 San Francisco Mile, Northern California's richest and highest-rated race, attracted a full field of 12 when entries were taken Wednesday morning.

The San Francisco Mile will be run Saturday at Golden Gate Fields on the track's Lakeside Turf Course. Post time for the feature, the seventh race on a 10-race program, is 3:45 p.m. First post is 12:45 p.m. and fans attending the races will receive a free GGF sports bag.

Barn Notes 4-22-2009

Pletcher & Lezcano Seal 2009 Gulfstream Meet Titles

Trainer Todd Pletcher will win a sixth straight Gulfstream Park meet championship after sending out one winner on Sunday to take the lead by one in the standings over Ken McPeek with two days to go before closing on Thursday.

McPeek led the standings for much of the season until recent weeks while Pletcher’s powerful stable picked up momentum. The number of starters were decidedly in Pletcher’s favor in the final days and he went into Wednesday’s card leading 34-33.

Keeneland Barn Notes—Wednesday, April 22, 2009

HOLD ME BACK AMONG HORSES SET TO LEAVE FOR CHURCHILL DOWNS

WinStar Farm LLC’s Hold Me Back, second in the Toyota Blue Grass (G1) on April 11, is scheduled to leave Keeneland on Wednesday for Churchill Downs and prepare for his next start in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1). In the morning, the Giant’s Causeway colt galloped over Keeneland’s main track with trainer Bill Mott’s assistant Leana Willaford aboard.

Elliott Walden, WinStar’s vice president and racing manager, said Hold Me Back would work at Churchill either on Sunday or Monday. That is the same schedule for WinStar’s Coolmore Lexington (G2) winner, Advice, a son of Chapel Royal who is trained by Todd Pletcher. Advice also is set to leave Keeneland for Churchill on Tuesday for a possible run in the Derby.

Kentucky Derb and Oaks 135 Notes (4.22.09)

ADVICE/JOIN IN THE DANCE/DUNKIRK – Mike McCarthy, assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher, said that Advice, winner of last Saturday’s Coolmore Lexington Stakes (Grade II) and Join in the Dance, fifth-place finisher in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Grade I), would ship to Churchill Downs from Keeneland on Wednesday and would be on the track to train Thursday morning.

Advice is owned by WinStar Farm and tentatively scheduled to work on April 27. Join in the Dance, stands 21st on the list of graded-stakes money won and would need a defection from the prospective field to secure a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate.

MJC ANNOUNCES 2009 ALIBI BREAKFAST AWARD WINNERS

BALTIMORE, 04-22-09--The Maryland Jockey Club today announced the winners of this year’s Preakness media awards. Honorees will be recognized and awards presented at the May 14 Alibi Breakfast in the Terrace Dining Room at Pimlico Race Course. The ceremony is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. two days prior to the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, the $1 million Preakness® Stakes (Grade I).

USA Today’s Tom Pedulla is the recipient of the David F. Woods Award for his emotional feature on the family of Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux. The Woods Award honors the best Preakness story for the previous year. Judging was done by Preakness notes team members Ed Gray, Mike Kane and Matt Graves, all award winning turf writers.

BREEN, RYAN BRING TOUCH OF MONMOUTH TO KENTUCKY DERBY WITH WEST SIDE BERNIE

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Two trainers who will be stabled at Monmouth for the 2009 meeting that opens on May 9, will be very busy on the Saturday before when they saddle starters in the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby.

Kelly Breen, who sends out West Side Bernie, and Derek Ryan, who trains Musket Man, have been Monmouth regulars for many years, and will be participating in their first Derby.

Youbet.com to Carry Signal for the 2009 Calder Race Course Meet

Burbank, CA, April 22, 2009 – Youbet.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: UBET) announced today that it will be carrying the signal from Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens, Florida beginning Friday, April 24.

“We are very pleased to offer the full Calder Race Course content to our customers for the first time in over a year; it is another example of how Youbet.com continues to work to provide the broadest product offering to our customers,” said Youbet.com Chief Executive Officer Michael Brodsky. “The agreement between us and Churchill Downs is another step in the continued cooperation between our companies, and we are looking forward to providing additional content from Churchill Downs and others over the near and long-term. For racing to prosper in the future, it is critical that signals be made available through as many channels as possible and providing the Calder meet to the ADW community is a step in the right direction. Our belief is that content should be ubiquitous, and then it is Youbet.com’s job to provide the best customer experience in the industry.”

Rollers tops Vincent A. Moscarelli Memorial Stakes

April 22, 2009, Wilmington, DE—Lael Stables Rollers tops the Delaware Park opening day feature, the $75,000 Vincent A. Moscarelli Memorial, this Saturday. A field of ten has been entered in the six furlong affair for 3-year-olds and upward.

Most recently, the 4-year-old son of Stormy Atlantic ran third in a six furlong $62,000 allowance at Keeneland on April 4. The New York-bred trained by Barclay Tagg ran second in the six furlong $100,000 Grade III Mr. Prospector Stakes at Gulfstream Park on January 17. Last year, he notched three wins, including a victory $250,000 Gallant Bob Stakes at Philadelphia Park, and two seconds from six starts. His career record is four wins, four seconds and a third from 11 starts with earnings of $342,214. Anna Napravnik will ride.

Tuesday, April 21 2009

Six Elected to National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainers Bob Baffert and Janet Elliot, jockey Eddie Maple and the horses Ben Nevis II, Silverbulletday and Tiznow have been elected to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2009 will be inducted on Friday, August 14 in Saratoga Springs in a ceremony at 10:30 a.m. at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion.

ALBANY -- The hard-hitting veterans Siren Lure and Bold Chieftain will be looking to gain millionaire status Saturday when they compete in the $300,000 San Francisco Mile at Golden Gate Fields.

A Grade 2 event run on the Lakeside Turf Course, the San Francisco Mile is Northern California's richest and highest-rated race. Heading the list of recent winners of the SF Mile is Singletary, who captured the feature in 2004 and went on to win the Grade 1 $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Mile at Lone Star Park.